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Happy Days Star Erin Moran Dead at 56

(Published Tuesday, April 25, 2017)

Erin Moran's husband Steve Fleischmann posted a heartfelt note revealing his wife died of an aggressive form of throat cancer. He also said Moran was "happy" and "active" in her final moments before she passed away in her sleep.

In a Facebook post shared by Moran's former "Happy Days" co-star Scott Baio, Fleischmann says the couple first became aware their was a medical issue in November 2016.

"Erin woke up and had about a dime size blood stain on her pillowcase. She said 'I think i bit my tongue.' A couple days go by and there's a bigger spot of blood. We get like 4 days into December, there's more blood. I get a flashlight and say let me look. It was not her tongue it was her tonsil on the left side. I thought it was tonsillitis."

Fleischmann wrote the couple quickly consulted an EMT for a biopsy and were devastated by the diagnosis.

"It came back squamous cell carcinoma. She started radiation and chemo. Five days a week radiation and chemo only on Thursdays. We did that the whole time. It got so bad so fast. By the middle of February, Erin could no longer speak or eat or drink," Fleischmann wrote. "She had a feeding tube implant and i fed her 6 to 8 times a day. She was still happy, she was active, she texted people on her phone all day. On the 21st she was having trouble breathing. She woke up on the 22nd, she was not 100%."

Fleischmann, who wed the Moran in 1993, added a plea to end speculation around his wife's death. Baio added to that frenzy speculating drugs or alcohol may have contributed to Moran's death before autopsy results were released Monday afternoon.